Parish History

A Brief History of Our Parish Introduction Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction On the 100th anniversary of Saint Gregory Colonial America the Great Roman Catholic Church, this Vicar-Apostolic of the London commemorative book offers witness to District from 1607 to 1783 how belief can be integrated with our Mission Church of North America surroundings, how worship proclaims the Superior of the Mission John Carroll divine when past and present, tradition (1784–1789) and creativity are combined. This book Diocese of Baltimore celebrates the centennial of our parish and (1789–1808) describes our place within the history of the Diocese of New York Town of Harrison, the Church of New York, (1808 – 1850) and the Universal Church. This is the story Archdiocese of New York of the roots and beginnings; the history of (established 1850) our parish community. It contains a brief biography of our patron, Saint Gregory Revolutionary War of Independence, the Great, historical images and Catholics in North America were served by photographs providing a beautiful record the Vicar-Apostolic of the London District in of stained glass, murals, statues, and England. During the time of the American church architecture. Revolution, the Catholic role in the English colonies was minimal, for they numbered The parishioners of St. Gregory’s are no more than one percent of the entire members of the Catholic Church, deeply population. The minority Catholics generally rooted in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. supported the cause of independence and The history of St. Gregory’s Church exemplifies fought in the revolutionary army. During the the idea that working toward fulfillment of Revolutionary War, anti-Catholic bigotry, which that mission is the responsibility of all had been pervasive throughout the colonial members of the Church. We hope that period, virtually disappeared for the moment. this commemorative book will deepen your understanding and appreciation of In 1783, when Great Britain admitted the parish of St. Gregory the Great. defeat and formally recognized the independence of the United States, Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction subordination to an English bishop was The broad historical context in which the neither practical nor desirable. The Parish was founded can be described by American priests, who numbered no more summarizing the ecclesiastical jurisdiction than two-dozen, petitioned the Holy See of the developing Church in New York. to appoint one of them as their superior, During the colonial period from 1607 to the not a bishop, for fear that the appointment 8 would provoke a resurgence of imprisonment of the Pope in 1810, pre-revolutionary anti-Catholic bigotry. prevented Bishop Concanen from In 1784, Rome appointed John Carroll reaching America. In June 1810, Bishop as Superior of the Mission Church in North Concanen died suddenly in Naples after America, the canonical equivalent of making one last futile attempt to book a prefect apostolic. Eventually, the |passage to America. Thus, New York American clergy came to the conclusion never saw its first bishop. that the Church in the United States For the next four years Pope Pius VII needed an American Catholic bishop. remained a prisoner of Napoleon and The Holy Father agreed and allowed the refused to appoint any new bishops American clergy to choose one of their until he was released. From 1810 to 1815, own for the post. The priests voted for therefore, the Diocese of New York was Carroll by a wide margin and Rome approved the nomination. Bishops of the Archdiocese of New York (established 1808) On November 6, 1789, John Carroll was appointed Bishop of Baltimore. His diocese Bishop Richard Luke Concanen 1808 – 1810 was coterminous with the country, which Bishop John Connolly meant that, in effect, John Carroll of 1815 - 1825 Baltimore was really New York’s first bishop. Bishop John Dubois During the nineteen years that Carroll was 1826 - 1837 the country’s sole ordinary (1789-1808), the Archbishop John Joseph Hughes whole state of New York could boast of only 1837 - 1864 Cardinal John McCloskey two parishes, St. Peter’s Church in New York 1864 - 1885 City and St. Mary’s in Albany. Archbishop Michael Corrigan On April 8, 1808, John Carroll was 1885 - 1902 Cardinal John Farley made the Archbishop of Baltimore, and 1902 - 1918 his original diocese was divided into four Cardinal Patrick Hayes suffragan sees, one of which was the 1919 - 1938 Diocese of New York. Pope Pius VII Cardinal Francis J. Spellman accepted Carroll’s nominees for Boston, 1939 - 1968 Philadelphia, and Bardstown. In the case Cardinal Terence Cooke 1968 - 1983 of New York, however, the Pope appointed Cardinal John Joseph O’Connor as the first Bishop of New York Richard Luke 1984 – 2000 Concanen, a sixty-one year old Irish Cardinal Edward M. Egan Dominican who had lived in Rome since 2000 – 2009 1765. A series of obstacles, principally the Archbishop Timothy J. Dolan naval war between France and England 2009 – Present and Napoleon’s abduction and 9 deliberately left vacant. Fortunately, was largely an immigrant Church made Concanen had authorized Carroll to up of waves of Irish, German, and French appoint a vicar general in New York. Catholics. Most of his flock consisted of Carroll picked a Jesuit, Anthony poor immigrants with little money to spare Kohlmann. Kohlmann was responsible for for the building of the much-needed the erection of New York City’s second new churches. Vocations to the Catholic Church, St. Patrick’s Old priesthood were rare. He was forced to Cathedral, at Prince and Mott Streets. For rely entirely on priests from Ireland, about the first seven years of the Diocese of eighteen of whom were working in the New York, Kohlmann and three other diocese at the time of his death in 1825. Jesuits engaged in parochial ministry. When Bishop Connolly died on February 6, 1825, the diocese was left unfilled for In the summer of 1815, the Pope twenty-one months. Responsibility for appointed another Bishop, an elderly administrating the vacant see fell to Irish Dominican, John Connolly, who was Connolly’s vicar general, Father John living in Rome. Bishop Connolly arrived in Power, a popular, energetic and New York in November 1815, weeks ambitious Irish-born cleric. before John Carroll of Baltimore died. He inherited a chaotic missionary diocese The Roots of of 55,000 square miles. The diocese Saint Gregory’s Parish consisted of three churches, two in New York City and one in Albany, and six What is now Harrison and Rye was priests. Connolly’s ten years as bishop purchased from the indigenous people in coincided with the construction of the 1660 by Peter Disbrow, Thomas Stedwell, Erie Canal, which was begun in 1817 and John Coe of Greenwich, Connecticut. and completed in 1825. This connected It was a tract of land situated above the Great Lakes with the Atlantic and Westchester Path, between Blind Brook, confirmed New York City’s reputation as once called Mockquams River, and the premier East Coast port. The port of extended as far north as Rye Pond. Later, New York was already handling almost an additional purchase was made. The half of the country’s imports and a third owners, however, made no effort to of its exports. With the completion of the improve this land and it remained vacant Erie Canal, the growth of New York and uncultivated. Then, along came broke all previous records. By 1830 the John Harrison, a Quaker from Boston. population of the city was 200,000. In 1695, John Harrison bought the land During the next thirty years it quadrupled, from native-Americans, who apparently and by 1860 New York City contained had no scruples about selling the same more people than Baltimore, Philadelphia piece of property twice, and even three and Boston combined. times over. This same piece of land was Bishop Connolly’s New York diocese previously sold to the Disbrow group. The 10 purchase consisted of a strip of territory Church for a long time. It struggled to nine miles long, and three miles wide, grow in the English colonies, whose between the Blind Brook and Mamaroneck members disliked “papists”, or Catholics. Rivers. As you would expect, the The Church in America began to flourish purchase incensed the Puritan owners when the Quebec Act in Canada and of the property. They claimed it belonged the Constitution in the United States to them, and that it was part of the whole guaranteed religious freedom. tract, which they called Rye. Naturally The United States was still a young they raised a stiff protest, threatened to mission country in 1789, when John Carroll “secede” from the then Province of New was appointed its first bishop. Bishop York, and asked to be annexed to Carroll’s diocese was the entire country, Connecticut. Consequently, Harrison’s which contained about 25,000 Catholics purchase was surveyed by order of and 24 priests. He administered it for 26 Colonel Fletcher, Governor of New York, years. Under his direction, the first Catholic and a patent was granted by the British College, Georgetown, was opened and Government to John Harrison. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton began the first The inhabitants of Rye in general, siding Catholic parish school. with Disbrow and his associates, all of From the Civil War to the 1900s, the Church whom were among the original settlers, in America was concerned mostly with caring and the son and heir of one of them, for Catholic immigrants who poured into this opposed the grant. They did not join country. The Church supported the building forces, however, but presented two of schools, parishes, hospitals, orphanages, separate claims. The British ruling Council and homes for those who were aged and rejected both, and confirmed Harrison’s homeless.

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